The first week of the NFL’s regular season gave us some great games and plenty of surprises. I expect we’ll see more of that in Week 2. We got started with a great AFC East matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, but we have 14 games left on our second NFL Sunday. Let’s dive in and highlight five that look the most appealing.

Sunday Early Games

New Orleans Saints (1-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-0)
About: Both these teams are coming off Week 1 wins. Not just wins, both teams dominated their Week 1 opponent. The Saints hung 47 points on the Panthers as Derek Carr tossed three touchdowns. The Cowboys, meanwhile, dominated every phase of the game in Cleveland, easily dispatching the Browns despite Dak Prescott only throwing for 173 yards. I like both offenses, and both teams have an intriguing defense. This could be a fun early season matchup.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) at Detroit Lions (1-0)
About: This is the second straight week the Lions have hosted a playoff re-match. In the opener, the team needed overtime to beat the Rams. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, picked up in mid-season form as Baker Mayfield tossed four touchdowns—including two to Mike Evans—in leading the Buccaneers past the Washington Commanders. Both these teams met in the playoffs last year, and both have post-season aspirations this year. This is a heck of an early matchup.

San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
About: Both these teams had big Week 1 victories. The 49ers got a big home win against the Jets Monday night, dominating despite missing Christian McCaffrey. The Vikings, meanwhile, went into New York and took it to the Giants. Sam Darnold looked solid in his debut for the Vikings and now he’s in his first home game against his former team. Could the Vikings be a contender in NFC? Getting a win at home against the 49ers would go a long way toward proving that. The 49ers, meanwhile, will be looking to get off to a hot 2-0 start.

Sunday Late Games

Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
About: The Bengals looked flat in losing at home to the New England Patriots. Worse than that, the team only managed 10 points. There are still questions about Ja’Marr Chase, who is waiting on a new contract, and Tee Higgins, who is struggling with an injury. Now, they are 0-1 and heading to Kansas City to play the Chiefs. The Chiefs beat the Ravens to start the season and have aspirations toward a third straight Super Bowl. So, can the Bengals get back on track and get a big win, or with the Chiefs take another step toward the playoffs?

Sunday Night Football

Chicago Bears (1-0) at Houston Texans (1-0)
About: Both these teams won in Week 1 but it couldn’t have looked more different. For Houston, a high-powered offense pushed them past the Colts on the road in a back-and-forth game. For the Bears, it was a huge come-from-behind win. But that was largely thanks to defense and special teams, which helped erase a 17-point deficit. The Bears’ offense didn’t do much, as rookie QB Caleb Williams finished his debut with less than 100 yards. Now, the Bears are in Prime Time, on the road, against a team that finished in the playoffs in 2023. That’s a tall order. The Texans, meanwhile, are looking to stay hot to start the season.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.